Timely Tim

Tim Lincecum stepped up at a big time for the Giants today. By totally controlling the best team in the league, Tim stopped yet another losing streak and saved his teammates the discomfort of four days off as COMPLETE LOSERS. The Enchanter was in rare form; yielding only 5 singles, one double, and one walk while recording 9 strikeouts. The numbers don't capture Tim's ability to get the big out at the big time (something I fear I harp on). Today it was a 10 pitch battle against Fukudome to end the the seventh (strikeout swinging) and, of course, Ramirez to end the eighth (double play groundout). I had a real moment of concern when Tim gave up two infield hits in front of Ramirez...3 run homers have killed us this week, Tim included...but I should have known better. It really is all different when Lincecum is on the mound.

NEWS FLASH! It looks like we signed that hot shot Dominican teenager!

WOOHOO!!! I am taking a break, .....starting right now

Todos Somos Gigantes

In the city of Oaxaca, the baseball club is called the Guerreros. Their tickets are imprinted with the team motto:

EN OAXACA
TODOS SOMOS GUERREROS.

In Oaxaca, we are all Guerreros (warriors).

Don't you like that?

Yes, I'm back from my three-week holiday, which involved two weeks in México, one of those in Oaxaca de Juárez. I'll put together some posts on béisbol soon, with photos (I hope).

Meanwhile, I'm adopting the slogan:

We are all Giants.

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The roller coaster ride that we call Matt Cain's 2008 pitching performance continued in a windy Wrigley. (Not to beat a dead horse, but, once again BCB covers this pattern with beautiful graphs) Using Chris' "Game Score" numbers, you can see that Matt has had 9 good starts, 6 bad starts and about 5 in the middle. It is not hard to see his trend going up, after all 2 of his last three have been his finest. In a year like this one where wins are hard to come by and actually rather meaningless, it is very important that we keep an eye open to the big picture and the trends that can only be appreciated over time. So, yes, of course, Matt pitched well enought to win. (The team has 14 hits in the LAST FOUR GAMES, which is something we all pretty much saw coming.) But that is not what is important. The key today is that Matt Cain regrouped after a bad showing and continued his upward spiral.

Want something to worry about? As trade talks speed up in the next couple weeks, will Matt Cain become a pawn in Brian Sabean's final desperate match? Read this discussion and notice how quickly Matt comes up. Is our offense so bad and young pitching so good that we even consider trading Matt?

Juiceless Tim

"I didn't feel like I had much juice."

I say we forget this whole visit to Shea stadium thing. I imagine Tim Lincecum may feel the same way. His performance yesterday, his second loss of the season, was not as scary as Tim's start last year in New York. (Remember that one? Perhaps you blocked it out. Think Armando and balks. Need I say more?) This time we were done for as soon as Tim gave up a very uncharacteristic long ball in the first. Tim struggled through 6 innings, 4 runs and a season high 9 hits...an OK outing for many but a markedly lifeless one for The Enchanter. There seems to be some concern over diminished velocity. Chris over at BayCityBall, as usual, has the best coverage:

"...the influx of innings that Lincecum will be throwing this year will be something to keep an eye on. He’s on the cusp of the injury nexus for young pitchers and the Giants need him to get through this season healthy. Without a healthy Tim in the rotation, things start to look real ugly real fast."

Amen to that brother.

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It always catches me a little off guard just how hard I take losses to the doggers. Believe me when I say I know about losing, but when it is at the hands of the blue scum, the pain and humiliation can hit me like I was ten years old all over again. This game, and particularly this franchise of ours can certainly test one's mettle.

This brings me to Matt Cain. After his best outing of the year last week, we were all set for big things. He did not deliver. In fact, Matt has never beaten the doggers, the last team in the NL West with that honor. This really kind of bothers me. I expect to see Mr. Cain in the black & orange for a decade or so and I sure hope that terrifies all blue goo, but right now it sure doesn't. I know the sample size is small (7 starts, 22 er, 37.1 ip, 5.30 era, 0-4) but I shudder to think this may be a trend. Ethier (.571 before getting 3 hits yesterday) and Kent (.455, 2 hr) seem to have no trouble against Matt. Kemp crushed two doubles yesterday.

So, we continue to wait and see with Matt for this year. Can he get it on track? Is he a second half type? That's my guess. And maybe more importantly...

Do the smog suckers have Matt's number?

(link to art)

Cover Boy Tim

Happy 4th of July! I must leave soon ( I'm busy being an American ) so I will be brief. Perhaps, don't count on it, I'll get back.

As everyone knows by now, Tim Lincecum is gracing the cover of the week's SI. (The article is kind of lame, bad use of nicknames but good quotes though.) Jinx?? You say?? No fricking way. Tim ripped off WIN #10 in much the same way as he has many times this season. Consistency is still the key. Another quality start, 6 IP 3ER, no homers given up (although 3 well struck doubles), 8 K and only one walk. Not Tim's best, but nothing close to a jinx. Will he start the All-Star game? If not our boy, then who? Webb? Hamels?

I still think that Omar must go or sit. He ended up with a couple hits but the first time with a runner in scoring position and the pitcher up next, he feebly tapped to first. Luckily for him, the pitcher was no ordinary human and Tim delivered the tying RBI. For a minute there, it sure felt like Lincecum was a much bigger offensive threat than Vizquel. Maybe I'm crazy, but in another couple weeks he won't be worth squat.

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As if in response to the plethora of wondering fans, Matt Cain laid to rest any notion that he may not be an "Ace." Worry no longer. Mr. Cain is the real deal. He can pitch with anybody in this league, including teammates Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez. And, oh by the way...He's the youngest of the those three!


It is hard not to be filled with schpilkas this smoky morn. Matt Cain threw, agrueably, the strongest start for a Giant this year. Athough missing a couple big bats, the Cubs are, what Stephen Colbert would call, a formidable opponent. Matt sliced through them, especially late in the game. His fastball, clocked at 97 mph, made Ryan Theriot look bad to end the seventh. The next two outs were also K's and the final out for Matt was the rather memorable, spectacular, but not graceful dive and throw by Castillo. (If you did not see it, go now.) Perhaps the most telling feature of how well Matt performed was his complete domination of Kosuke Fukudome. How do you say "hat trick" in Japanese?

Beyond the resurgence of Mr. Cain, the game also featured some more reasons to really like Fred Lewis. I'm talking serious man-love. Fred scored both runs, one of which was stealing home on the front end of a double steal. He had badly screwed this same play earlier this year (too lazy to look it up), but this time Fred executed perfectly. He continually shows improvement and that is EXCITING. ....The sobering thought is the only reason Fred is playing enough to develop before our eyes is because Roberts got hurt. Would our management have done it right on their own?

***If you like the lovely artwork above, then you will love this FanPost on the McCovey Chronicle from yesterday. (I guess photo credit goes to Natto.)